Considering that “Game of Thrones” season 3 still does have a few episodes left, it’s probably a surprise that we are here today writing about something that could come up potentially for next season. However, that is just the way in which the HBO show at times operates behind the scenes. The creative team has been working on scripts for months, and when you have a show with this budget and so many moving parts, you have to prepare early. Otherwise, you end up with something that feels like a high-school project that had a great idea, but was put together the night before it was due because there was too much time spent brainstorming.

Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss recently sat down for a pretty extensive interview with SCRW UpClose (which you can listen to below), and in this, they confirm that the show will start up season 4 production on July 8, presumably in Belfast, Northern Ireland (which is by and large the home base save for some of the outdoor scenes.) There will surely be multiple other countries involved (especially Croatia, given its setting as the home of King’s Landing), but we will find out more on a later date.

Typically, the “Game of Thrones” production goes like this: Filming takes place for around three or so months in Northern Ireland, plus film crews who also take in work in the other countries. Last season, all filming (save for a certain bear scene) was done prior to the end of the year, which gave ample time for the effects team, the editors, and everyone else in post-production to come in an work a little bit of their magic.

Now, let’s take a step back and breathe … we gotta take a look at what’s actually ahead on the show. Things are about to get bloody good (literally) on “Game of Thrones” season 3, and the promo here gives you a taste of that.